Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards and MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell argued that statements made by Planned Parenthood shooter Robert Lewis Dear are “sometimes rhetoric we hear from politicians” and “there are millions of protesters out there who share his view” on Wednesday’s broadcast of “The Last Word.”

advertisement

Richards stated, “I just think it’s so disturbing to hear this kind of hateful rhetoric. This is the kind of hateful rhetoric, though, unfortunately we do hear from protesters. And it’s sometimes rhetoric we hear from politicians. And so, I think everyone really has to think long and hard about how we demonize women and doctors who provide abortion services, and organizations as well. This just not what America wants to see.”

O’Donnell added, “you do hear a lot of these same words and ideas coming from protesters. You hear them at political conventions. They’re there as people come in and out.”

He further said, “I know that there are millions of protesters out there who share his view of this situation, who are going to believe that that is exactly true.”

Richards responded, “Well, I don’t actually think there are millions of people who believe what he’s saying are true.”

She continued that “it’s really important for politicians to think long and hard about the ways in which they talk about doctors providing legal abortion services to women in America, and to the women — nearly three million patients who come to Planned Parenthood every single year.”